The long-running variety show "Shinkonsan Irasshai!" (ABC TV/TV Asahi, Sunday 12:55pm) hosted by Takashi Fujii and Sakura Inoue will feature a "success story" on January 25th, featuring the eldest son of a mandarin orange farmer who has never known love for 48 years, as he tries his hand at confessing his love, proposing, and kissing for the first time.
The newlyweds live in Uwajima, Ehime Prefecture. The husband is the fifth generation of a 120-year-old mandarin orange farm. The orchard, which covers an area of about three football fields (3 hectares), has 3,500 mandarin orange trees and grows 15 different types of citrus fruits depending on the season.
The husband, now 52, is so shy that he can't even make eye contact with women. He spends a lot of time in the mountains, both at work and in his personal life, and has had no opportunities to meet women. His wife, who changed his life, was originally a junior high school English teacher, but retired when they got married. She now helps out with work in an orchard.
My husband had no romantic experience until he was 48 years old. However, one day, while driving to a park in his pickup truck, he spotted two pigeons snuggling up together in the middle of the road, which made him want to get married.
The husband immediately registered with a matchmaking agency. Four months later, he found his wife. He sent her a dating request three days after she registered. The husband's profile picture was also made public, but in contrast to his wife's bright smile, the husband had the air of a member of parliament. Her first impression was that he resembled then-Prime Minister Kishida Fumio, but they shared a hobby of traveling abroad, and she was unexpectedly attracted to his wild side as a backpacker, so she agreed to the arranged marriage.
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, they first met via Zoom, but his wife couldn't help but laugh at the sight of her husband repeatedly yelling "thank you" while banging his head against the table so hard that he nearly drew blood, resembling a prime minister's apology press conference. Moreover, he spoke so one-sidedly that it overwhelmed his talkative wife, sparking her interest as "the first man to silence me."
So the husband, at age 48, went on his first date in his life, but he was completely inexperienced. On their first date, his wife took him to a restaurant where he could grill his own bonito tataki, but he showed up in a suit. After that, even though she asked him to dress a little more casually, he always showed up in a jacket.
After that, the husband spent two and a half hours visiting his wife every week for three months. However, because the marriage agency's rules state that it's okay to meet as many people as you like during the friendship period before starting a relationship, the wife continued to meet with other people. Meanwhile, the husband was focused solely on his wife.
On the way home from their fourth date, the husband confessed his feelings for the first time in his life. Near their home, the wife was suddenly grabbed by the hand and told, "Check out my LINE messages to see if I'm serious!" The wife, confused, opened the messages and ran out of the car in fear. However, she accepted his sincerity, and the relationship later developed into a serious one.
Three months later, he finally proposes, and they head to a lovely hotel with a panoramic view of the Pacific Ocean. Despite repeated practice, the husband's mind goes blank during the actual performance, and for some reason, the phrase "seared bonito" starts swimming in his head. The phrase "seared bonito" repeats over and over for the next 10 minutes. His wife feels like cheering on the student as he reads aloud, but her dedication is apparent, so she happily accepts.
Next up was the difficult mission of her husband, who at 48 years old was tasked with kissing her for the first time in his life. After careful consideration, she chose a place as inconspicuous as possible, the "car used for the first kiss" and the "parking lot used for the first kiss." MC Fujii Takashi was shown photos of this, and he repeatedly fell over in agony. It was an awkward kiss, almost like a ritual, but the love story of the two who were destined to meet is heartwarming to watch.
